1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to nutritional supplements for ruminants. More particularly, the present invention is generally related to nutritional supplements for animals in the Cervidae family.
2. Description of the Related Art
Nutritional supplements for ruminants have been around for many years. A “ruminant” is a mammal that has a four-compartment stomach and includes, for example, animals from the Cervidae family such as white-tailed deer, mule deer, red deer, reindeer, and fallow deer. Recently, vitamins have been added to these nutritional supplements in an attempt to increase the overall health of the ruminants and to increase antler size and muscle mass.
Generally, most commercial ruminant supplements contain calcium and phosphorous. The sources of these minerals are commonly calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate, which are inorganic salts. Both of these inorganic salts are frequently used because they are cheap and contain a high percentage of calcium, which makes them look like great options for ruminant supplements. However, the use of these inorganic salts can cause a number of issues. For example, inorganic calcium salts can contain a high percentage of calcium, which causes them to have a very bitter taste. Consequently, most ruminants would not consume highly-concentrated forms of calcium carbonate due its overly-bitter taste.
In order to address the bitter tastes associated with the various inorganic calcium salts, manufacturers choose to overload their supplements with salts primarily formed from sodium chloride. These salts attract ruminants to the supplement and provide a more suitable taste. Most, if not all, commercial ruminant supplements contain an excessive amount of salt, with some containing a salt content of up to 40 percent by weight. However, this overabundance of salt can lead to many potential health risks in the ruminants including, for example, calcium wasting, hypernatremia, and dehydration. In addition, the increase intake of sodium can decrease the secretion of aldosterone in the ruminants, thereby decreasing the ability of the ruminant to absorb the calcium found in the inorganic calcium salts.
Furthermore, just because the ruminants ingest the various inorganic calcium salts, does not mean that they fully absorb the vital minerals needed to enhance their health. Generally, the inorganic calcium salts can have a very low solubility. For example, calcium carbonate requires a pH of less than 3 in order to be broken down in the body. Consequently, this poses a large problem due to the physiology of the digestive tract in ruminants. The reticulum and rumen in ruminants generally contain a pH of around 6 and, therefore, are unable to fully absorb the necessary calcium in these cases.
Moreover, in contrast to calcium, the more phosphorous a ruminant ingests, the more that is generally absorbed by the body. This is another problem encountered by most, if not all, ruminant supplements in the market. Ideally, calcium and phosphorous should be absorbed in ruminants at a ratio of 2.16:1. While most commercial ruminant supplements contain a calcium to phosphorus ratio that is similar to this, the ratios within these supplements do not reflect the actual ratio absorbed by the ruminant. The use of certain calcium salts can result in decreased calcium absorption and, therefore, can negatively affect the calcium to phosphorous ratio absorbed by the ruminant. Thus, this can lead to more phosphorous being absorbed by the ruminant, which can cause reduced calcitonin levels and, therefore, even lower calcium levels. Additionally, this can also cause parathyroid hormone to be released, which leads to increased bone turnover. Consequently, this puts the ruminant at a greater risk for osteoporosis and other problems, including decreased antler size.
Accordingly, there is a need for a superior nutritional supplement for ruminants that allows for optimal intestinal absorbability of the vitamins and nutrients contained therein.